7 weeks bengal, is it too young

[Branleuse]

Im going to have a look at some bengal cross kittens tommorow. The mum says theyre ready to go as theyre eating properly, but theyre not very good with the litter tray yet. Do you think thats because of their age or maybe because of their breed? Would leaving it a week or two be better? I dont want to risk losing the kitten to someone else.

Ive never had such a young kitten before. Ive always gone for older kittens or adult cats. How much of a difference does a week or two make in reality?

It's not an accident. She let a pedigree cat out that wasn't spayed.
Money making scam.
I would be really concerned she wants them gone as they're ill. Or she needs the money.

Anyway, i appreciate everyone taking the time to reply, thankyou x

When my cat got out the day before she was due to be spayed and got shagged by the local toms it WAS an accident. A cat in heat is very hard to contain. Anyway, this is getting a bit silly now. My question was is seven weeks too young. Interesting to hear the other stuff about Bengals though. They sound like a very interesting type of cat. I was already aware they were supposed to be harder work than most, but interesting to hear other peoples experiences

and for what its worth, I actually find it far less morally objectionable for someone to have a cat that gets out and has kittens accidently and then sells them, for a token price, than I do for ANY sort of professional breeder, which I find a bit gross and exploitative

She wants rid so the cat will come into heat again & she can get another batch on the go.

That cats going to breed until it literally drops dead.

Yes, seven weeks is way too young. 10-12 is best. If she is off loading them at 7 weeks then she’s not bothered about the best homes or the kittens welfare, is she? Just getting rid of them asap.

Yep fluffy.
But it's just a cat.
We had two terrible torties. We always had one door shut between them and outside until they were neutered and chipped and ready to go out.
I'm betting they're being sold for a far few quid, no home checks like a rescue would do and no ongoing support like a proper breeder would offer.

I used to have a half bengal, He was extremely hard work, he was very dominate even to the point he would try and dominate my neighbours houses, I would have them knock on my door with complaints about him, The kids couldnt pet him either he had to go and live on a farm. He was too wild.

People like you OP falling for these gullible stories are the reason people like the woman selling the kittens keep going and making money. Her cat will "accidentally" get pregnant time and time again until it ends up in a rescue centre or dead.

sigh I am starting to despair when I see these threads. These people are purely interested in making money out of their poor cat(s); no concern for the welfare of them at all. They will always have a similar story, a responsible owner will make sure their unspayed kitten can't escape then get her done as soon as she's old enough.

I would advise against a Bengal or Bengal cross too. I have one and as others have said they are very hard work. She is difficult to handle and very vocal. I would not get another. You should go to your local rescue centre and get a kitten.

Should have also said 7 weeks is far far to young. 12 weeks is when both of mine have been sold to me.

I Have a Bengal cross. He's very regal and loving bordering on clingy but we had to get another cat after a while for him to play with so he wasn't chewing our feet all night. He's still a big softie even with company.

In retrospect, I feel that we may have been sold a story by the mother cat's owner, and I also think he was younger than she said. And I regret every day not bringing his sister home too... but then I guess our second cat wouldn't have come home to us after being passed around four different people and being shut away in one room for two weeks :(

One tip, keep your toilet lid closed!

Also, he very very rarely meows, which is very strange!

Go for it but the kitten should stay with mum until he/she's 10-12 weeks ideally. We had a purebred Bengal (got at 14 weeks) and he was the most wonderful cat I've had loving, affectionate, intelligent. Yes he had "wild" moments (jumping up door frames etc) but for the most part he was a huge softie and a lap cat. They love water - my boy used to push his way into the bathroom while I was showering and sit on the end of the bath dabbling his paws in the water. And they are chatty - but I loved having "conversations" with him. He died earlier in the year due to something called Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) a few weeks before our DD was born. FIP affects a small proportion of kittens under 2 and is unfortunately incurable. Some vets believe there is a link to some purebreed breeds like Burmese, Bengal, Ragdoll - so just beware as there's no reliable test a breeder or a vet can do. It's rare though and we were just one of the unlucky ones. I miss him every day! If DD wasn't so little we'd have another Bengal in a heartbeat but we're going to wait until she's older

My pedigree spayed Bengal fought and killed a fox.

The noise of the fight was unbelievable and DH actually thought the cat was losing it, and was mentally panicking over how to break it to the kids. But nope, she finished off the fox and wandered inside without a scratch as he was trying to get some water to throw.

For that and many more reasons, we wouldn’t have a Bengal again. They are much more wild than normal moggies. Dog like, yes, in a lot of ways. But they are not emotionally attached to a human like a pet dog is.

I truly loved that cat though (she died of old age years ago), and she was excellent around the children and other cats. She tolerated a puppy too. She could be utterly sweet and was very affectionate towards our then baby too.

But the fox, a few baby adder snakes, several grass snakes, numerous numerous birds, hundreds of squirrels, hundreds of rabbits and (sadly) a hare lost their lives. Through her, I had to learn how to kill a half dead baby rabbit in an emergency (vet talked me through it).

To answer your original question though, anything before 8 weeks is too young. I’d leave it as late as possible. Out pedigree Bengal was 12/13 weeks I think.

Even a half breed Bengal is going to be harder work than even another oriental breed. I’ve had those too, and they were so much easier!

Its not a breeder, shes just got a bengal cat with some kittens

Even accepting this trip, any responsible cat owner would’ve done her research and know not to be allowing the kittens to leave mother this early. Whether she is a professional or an accidental breeder she isn’t acting in the best interest of the kittens.

OP - I’m not a cat owner but just from reading here I would steer clear. If you must go ahead (and can deal with what PP have described) then set a minimum number more weeks. If the kittens have been sold so be it.

Bear in mind that Bengals (and savannahs, and other similar breeds) are a breed specifically created by crossing domestic cats with wild breeds like the Asian Leopard Cat (Bengals), Ocelots (Ocicats) or Servals (Savannahs), and until 10 years ago you had to have a license to keep one in the UK.

It takes at least 3-4 generations before they start to be like a domestic cat.

@Allergictoironing I got my Bengal prior to ten years ago. It was a 3rd generation and and was still half wild.

Nothing like a domestic cat really.

So I agree with your warnings.

One of my rescue cats (a gorgeous tortie) came from a family who allowed her to get impregnated by random tom's and happily made money off the results. She came to us at 6 years old, full of tumours and internal scarring because of the multiple pregnancies. At least a professional breeder has a number of rules they must follow in the interest of the cats health.

At best, the seller's disregard for the kittens staying with their mum for basic socialisation is ignorant but at worst hints at a similar situation to the above. As with any young animal, if you're serious about taking one of the kittens I'd wait until it's a little older, ask to see the mum and do an eye/ear/bum check before you hand over any money.

People like you OP falling for these gullible stories are the reason people like the woman selling the kittens keep going and making money. Her cat will "accidentally" get pregnant time and time again until it ends up in a rescue centre or dead.

^this

God you sound so stupid OP! How can you not see that people like you paying money to fucking back yard breeders is a bad thing?

Either cough up more money and buy from a proper breeder who is interested in the health of the cat/kittens, or get a kitten from a rescue.

This is actually mind boggling that people cannot even ask a simple question about a kitten anymore without people turning into arseholes about it. Absolutely bizarre.
I asked a simple question about the AGE of the kitten. The rest of it is none of anyone elses business. The responses here are more likely to put people off trying to educate themselves or ask questions. They certainly make me feel like "well fuck you", which is a shame, because this could be a good place to get advice if people didnt turn into cunts when behind a keyboard. I dont think you actually even care about the kittens. You just want to have a go and feel superior. There are a few posters here that have posted in a non aggressive helpful way, and for that i am grateful. The rest of you, well the less said the better.

It is the business of anyone who cares about animals to dissuade people from paying for "farmed" animals.
If you were an animal lover you would listen and ask questions rather than saying fuck you!

I asked a simple question about the AGE of the kitten

And the answer is - no reputable breeder either professional, hobby or truly accidental would give you a kitten at 7 weeks.

Only a kitten farm is in the business of getting rid of kittens too you, they do this because they can get the mother PG again and make more money.

If you are a true animal lover and just a were a bit naive and were taken in by a sob story, then this should have educated you enough to think "hey, I really shouldn't get a kitten fro ma kitten farm".

But no, you don't give a shit about animal welfare and just want the 'cheap' Bengal cross.

you really cant stop can you. Are you this condescending in real life?